Chamber opposes proposed labor law

The Board of Directors at The Chamber of Schenectady County has voted to oppose federal legislation that would make it easier for workers to unionize.

The Employee Free Choice Act would allow the creation of a union once the majority of a company’s employees sign an authorization card, with no secret ballot required. The legislation also would impose stiffer penalties on companies that aggressively stymie worker efforts to unionize.

The House of Representatives passed the legislation last week. Its future in the Senate, however, is less clear, and the Bush Administration has said the president will veto the measure if it reaches his desk.

Nevertheless, the Schenectady chamber said it felt the need to voice opposition to the measure, especially as New York Sens. Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer, both Democrats, are likely to support it.

The chamber, in a written statement today, said it supports the current secret ballot system and fears the Employee Free Choice Act would lead union organizers to bully employees into signing authorization cards. The act, the group said, “would only further intimidate and threaten the freedoms of American workers.”

Labor leaders, however, say their efforts to organize are thwarted by employers who threaten workers. They also say the legislation is needed to stop a long decline in union membership.